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The Iraqi diaspora refers to native Iraqis that have left for other countries as emigrants or refugees. There were at least two large waves of expatriation. A great number of Iraqis left the country during the government of Saddam Hussein, and large numbers have left during the Second Gulf War and its aftermath.

Estimates vary on the size of the Iraqi diaspora. According to one estimate, 4-5 million (compared to pre-war 2000 population estimate of 22,675,617) were in exile before the American invasion. They fled from the regime of Saddam Hussein, though some may have left earlier.^[1] However, in the Iraqi legislative election, December 2005, only 1.2 million Iraqi exiles were estimated to be living in the 14 countries with the highest exile populations. Less than 300,000 voted.^[2]

Since the election, the Iraqi diaspora has continued to grow. As of 2006, 1.8 million Iraqis, out of a current population of 28.8 million, are living in other countries. Approximately 800,000 Iraqis are living in Jordan. Jordan has stopped renewing residency permits for incoming Iraqis. Syria has become the leading country for newly displaced Iraqis because it does not require entry visas from Arabs. About 2,000 Iraqis are entering the country each day as of 2006.

There are also up to 150,000 Iraqis in Egypt. However, it is reported that Egypt is closing its doors to Iraqis. The precise reasons are unknown but according to ReliefWeb, one reason, apart from the fact that refugees are a strain on an already fragile economy, Egypt does not want Iraq to become a Shia state, as most refugees to the country are believed to be Sunni.^[3][4] Refugees International is reporting a number of 2.3 million Iraqi refugees as of January 2007. However, the Iraqi diaspora includes non-refugee migrants as well.^[5]

As of March 20, 2007, 1.2 million refugees live in Syria, 800,000 live in Jordan, while another 250,000 reside in the United Kingdom - in all, 2.25 million displaced.^[6]

Iraqi minorities make up a percentage of the Iraqi diaspora, including Kurds, Yezidis, Chaldean Catholics, Mandeans, Jews and Assyrian Christians. Several population groups are overrepresented in the Iraqi diaspora.^{[citation needed]} Leading up to, and especially in the decade following the foundation of the state of Israel in 1948, nearly all 120,000 Iraqi Jews emigrated. The extent that this community now considers itself "Iraqi" is unclear. In Israel, Jews of Iraqi descent are called Sefardim. The population of Iraqis living in Israel is estimated at around 250,000. Iraq has only "about a dozen" Jews.^[7]

There has also been a century-long dispersion of Assyrian people from their homelands in Iraq and the greater Middle East. It is unclear whether this trend have accelerated since the fall of Saddam Hussein, but Assyrians have typically been on the sidelines of recent Iraqi politics, and churches have been targeted by armed groups, such as Al-Qaeda in Iraq. This violence can be interpreted as anti-Assyrian.^[8]

Contents 1 Current number of Iraqis in all countries 2 Locations 2.1 Africa 2.1.1 Algeria 2.1.2 Egypt 2.1.3 Libya 2.2 Americas 2.2.1 Brazil 2.3 Europe 2.3.1 Armenia 2.3.2 Austria 2.3.3 Bulgaria 2.3.4 Denmark 2.3.5 Finland 2.3.6 France 2.3.7 Germany 2.3.8 Hungary 2.3.9 Ireland 2.3.10 Italy 2.3.11 Romania 2.3.12 Russia 2.3.13 Spain 2.3.14 Switzerland 2.3.15 Turkey 2.3.16 United Kingdom 2.4 Middle East 2.4.1 Kuwait 2.4.2 Pakistan 2.4.3 United Arab Emirates 2.4.4 Yemen 2.5 See also 2.6 References 2.7 External links

[edit] Current number of Iraqis in all countries

Rank	Country	Capital	Centres of Iraqi population	№ of Iraqis	Further info
1	Iraq	Baghdad	Entire Country	26,783,383 (2006 est.)
2	Syria	Damascus	Damascus, Aleppo	2,000,000 [9]	Iraqis in Syria
3	Jordan	Amman	Amman	1,000,000	Iraqis in Jordan
4	United Kingdom	London	London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Derby, Cardiff and Glasgow.	250,000 [10][11]	Iraqis in the United Kingdom
5	Israel	Jerusalem	Jerusalem, Ramat Gan	250,000 [12]	Iraqis in Israel, (Iraqi Jews)
6	Iran	Tehran	Tehran, Qom, Ahwaz, Elam, Shiraz, Mashad	203,000[13]	Iraqis in Iran
7	Egypt	Cairo	Cairo, Alexandria	150,000[14][15]	Iraqis in Egypt
8	Germany	Berlin		150,000[16]	Iraqis in Germany
9	Lebanon	Beirut	Beirut, Roumieh, Baalbeck, Beqaa, Nabatiyeh, Baabda, Aley, Matn, Tyre, Sidon, Hermel, Zahle, Bint Jbeil, Chouf, Jbeil, Tripoli, Koura[17]	100,000[18]	Iraqis in Lebanon
10	United Arab Emirates	Abu Dhabi		100,000[19]	Iraqis in the United Arab Emirates
11	Yemen	Sanaa		100,000 [20]	Iraqis in Yemen
12	Turkey	Ankara	Ankara, Istanbul	60,000-90,000	Iraqis in Turkey
13	Australia	Canberra	Sydney, Melbourne, Victoria (Australia)	80,000[21]	Iraqis in Australia
13	Sweden	Stockholm	Stockholm (Södertälje), Malmö[22]	70,000+ [23]	Iraqis in Sweden
14	Netherlands	Amsterdam		43,000 (0.3%)	Iraqis in the Netherlands
15	Greece	Athens		5,000-40,000[24]	Iraqis in Greece
16	United States	Washington DC		37,714 (0.01%)	Iraqi American
17	Canada	Ottawa		36,000[25]	Iraqis in Canada
18	Saudi Arabia	Riyadh		33,000[26]	Iraqis in Saudi Arabia
19	Libya	Tripoli		30,000[27]	Iraqis in Libya
20	Algeria	Algiers		20,000[28]	Iraqis in Algeria
21	Norway	Oslo	Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger, Bærum, Trondheim, Drammen, Kristiansand, Fredrikstad, Asker [29]	13, 373 (2004)[30]	Iraqis in Norway
22	Kuwait	Kuwait City		13,000[31]	Iraqis in Kuwait
23	Denmark	Copenhagen		12,000[32]	Iraqis in Denmark

[edit] Locations

The following countries have hosted Iraqi refugees. This list is by no means conclusive.

[edit] Africa

[edit] Algeria

The current population of Iraqis living in Algeria is estimated at around 20,000.^[28]

[edit] Egypt

Since the Iraq war in 2003, Egypt has allowed a number of Iraqi refugees in the country. The current Iraqi population in Egypt stands at around 150,000.^[14]

Since January 2007, more stringent laws have been applied restricting the entry of new refugees. Egypt fears that the arrival of more refugees may increase prices in real estate, potentially causing resentment towards Iraqis by Egyptians. Another reason is that Egypt fears the arrival of Iraqis belonging to different sects, possibly causing sectarian strife. The vast majority of refugees fleeing to Egypt are Sunni Muslims, therefore changing the demographics of certain regions within Iraq. Demands of building Shia mosques and shrines in Egypt by Iraqis have been rejected by the authorities.^[33]

[edit] Libya

The current Iraqi population in Libya is estimated at around 30,000.^[27]

[edit] Americas

[edit] Brazil

Approximately 5,100 Iraqi refugees have immigrated to Brazil , and there are more 100,000 ethnic Iraqi in Brazil .

[edit] Europe

Further Information: Iraqi diaspora in Europe

[edit] Armenia

See also: Armenians in Iraq

There has long been a well-established Armenian population in Iraq, due to the Armenian genocide. However, since the United States-led invasion of Iraq, many Iraqis now have sought refuge in Armenia. Some sources claim 460 Iraqi refugees living in Armenia.^[34]

[edit] Austria

The total Austrian population of Iraqi refugees is around 1,200.^[35]

[edit] Bulgaria

The total Bulgarian population of Iraqi refugees is around 1,200.^[36]

[edit] Denmark

Denmark has been a strong host nation to Iraqi refugees, where there are approximately 12,000.^[37] Iraqis are one of the largest Arab ethnic groups living in Denmark. This is partially due to the large number of Kurds who have emigrated from northern Iraq.

[edit] Finland

A recent influx of Iraqi refugees arrived in Finland, numbering at around 1,600.^[38]

[edit] France

The current population of Iraqis in France is estimated at around 8,200. However, it has been reported that since the invasion of Iraq, France has only accepted 13 refugees.^{[39] [40]}

Some reports claim that there are 1,300 Iraqi refugees living in France.^[41]

[edit] Germany

The number of Iraqis in Germany is estimated at around 150,000 ^[16] In 2006, out of 2,727 asylum applications for Iraqi refugees, only 8.3 percent were accepted. ^[42] Some sources claim there to be just around 40,000 Iraqi refugees residing in Germany. ^[43] In 2006, Germany granted just 8.3 percent of Iraqi asylum demands, according to the ministry.^[44]

[edit] Hungary

Approximately 1,200 Iraqi refugees have immigrated to Hungary.^[45]

[edit] Ireland

Sources claim there to be 340 Iraqi refugees living in Ireland.^[46]

[edit] Italy

The current population of Iraqis in Italy stands at around 1,300; however one source claims there to be 1,068, which is approximately 50 families. ^[47] Most of these are priests, nuns and seminarians who have come to pursue their studies in Italy. ^[48] The majority are residents of Rome.

There have been recent appeals from the Iraqi community living in Italy to free any Italian and Iraqi Italian residents currently working in Iraq. ^[49]

In November 2007, 800 Iraqi Kurds sought refugee in Italy, of which only 20 of them applied for asylum and the other received 15 day expulsion orders.^[50]

[edit] Romania

Sources claim there are 450 Iraqi refugees living in Romania.^[51]

[edit] Russia

Significant groups of Iraqis have emigrated to Russia as early as the 1990s.^[52] Iran credits Russia with being one of the first countries to provide concrete assistance in processing Iraqi refugees; Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry began preparing two sites for refugee camps in western Iran in April 2003.^[53] However, Iraqis admitted to Russia often find themselves the targets of racism; as with Afghan refugees, they are mistaken for migrants from the Caucasus, who are stereotyped in Russia as drug dealers and criminals.^[52]

[edit] Spain

The current population of Iraqis in Spain are unknown; however, since the Iraq war, Spain has been host to 45 Iraqi refugees. An additional 42 Iraqis requested asylum in 2006.^[54] There are roughly about 3,700 asylum seekers in Spain, and a further 642 Iraqis hold residency permits.^[55]

Iraqi immigration to Spain accounted for 1706 permanent residents in the year 2006.

[edit] Switzerland

The current population of Iraqis in Switzerland is estimated to be around 5,000. However, the Swiss government is currently closing doors to future Iraqi refugees, and offering to send external aid instead. Christoph Blocher, the Swiss Justice and Police Minister, stated that "We already have 5,000 Iraqis in Switzerland and our country is in second place in Europe in accepting them".^[56][57]

[edit] Turkey

See also: Iraqi Turkmen

Turkish citizens of Iraqi heritage currently number around 60,000-90,000. Turkey currently hosts 600 recognized Iraqi refugees. The Turkish government had approved Iraqi asylum seekers in 2001 by a rate of 78 percent.^[58] In September 2004 only 407 Iraqis applied to the UNHCR for asylum in Turkey.^[59] As of June 2006, UNHCR in Ankara had registered only 2,404 Iraqis as asylum seekers in Turkey.^[60]

Most Iraqi refugees living in Turkey are Christian, mainly Chaldean Catholics, and often face indifference by their Turkish counterparts.^[61]

[edit] United Kingdom

Main article: Iraqis in the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has the largest Iraqi community in the Western World with estimates ranging from 250,000 to 450,000.

[edit] Middle East

Further Information: Iraqi diaspora in the Middle East

[edit] Kuwait

The current Iraqi population in Kuwait is difficult to determine, as there are no official figures, but estimates range from 10,000 to 13,000.^[62] According to the UNHCR, only 427 Iraqis have been registered as asylum seekers and 18 Iraqis have been recognized as refugees in Kuwait.^[62]

Due to poor Iraqi-Kuwaiti relations, Kuwait had previously announced that it will not provide shelter for any Iraqi refugees and will prevent them from entering the country by guarding the border with Saudi Arabian troops. However, Kuwait did announce that they will hold any refugees in a 15 kilometer-wide demilitarized strip on the Iraqi side of the border, where it would provide humanitarian assistance.^[62]

Kuwait has maintained strict regulations when considering refugees; however, the country hosted 15,000 Iraqis throughout the 1990s, most of which have resided in Kuwait. Currently, the country shelters some 13,000 Iraqis according to the UNHCR.^[63]

[edit] Pakistan

The current Iraqi population in Pakistan is estimated at around 150, but exact figures are difficult to ascertain, as many have slipped away into the country's large urban centres unregistered. It is believed that many Iraqi's chose Pakistan as a conduit nation in their quest to enter Europe and America. It is believed that tripple the current estimates of Iraqi's living in Pakistan have passed through the nation though exact figures are difficult to attain.^[64]

• Somy Ali

[edit] United Arab Emirates

The current population of Iraqis in the United Arab Emirates is estimated to be around 100,000.^[65]

[edit] Yemen

Since the war in 2003, despite not sharing a border with Iraq, Yemen has become a host country for many Iraqi refugees. However, in 2004, the Yemeni government has changed its policy and currently requires Iraqi nationals to hold visas before letting them into Yemen; this has restricted their entry into the country. It is difficult to estimate how many Iraqis are in Yemen, as the numbers vary frequently, with many arriving and leaving quickly. In 2004, the UNHCR estimated that 100,000 Iraqis were living in Yemen.^[20]

[edit] See also

• List of Iraqis
• List of Iraqi Americans
• List of Iraqi Britons
• Refugees of Iraq
• Arab diaspora
• Assyrian diaspora

v • d • e Iraqi people and diaspora Americas and Oceania Iraqi diaspora in the Americas Australia · Brazil · Canada · New Zealand · United States · Asia Iraqi diaspora in the Middle East Iran · Israel · Jordan · Kuwait · Lebanon · Saudi Arabia · Syria · Turkey · Europe Iraqi diaspora in Europe Austria · Denmark · France · Germany · Greece · The Netherlands · Norway · Sweden · Switzerland · United Kingdom ·

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Diaspora Iraqis homepage
• One in six Iraqis are in exile, and they want this war. The Guardian; August 16, 2002
• The New Iraqi Diaspora Hii Dunia; January 31, 2007
• From the Cradle of Civilization to the Graveyard?
• IOM Press Note 3 May 2006: Iraqi Diaspora To Help Rebuild Iraq
• "Back to Baghdad: An Iraqi Collaborator Speaks"
• Out-of-Country Voting in Post-Conflict Elections